Choose screenshots, an app preview, or both
Decide which parts of your app need static screenshots or motion, and keep Apple app preview and Google Play video requirements separate.
Should your app listing use screenshots or a preview video?
Use screenshots when a useful app screen can explain the benefit at a glance. Consider video when timing, interaction or a sequence of actions is essential to understanding the product. Both should depict the actual app and meet their separate store specifications. Skir's workflow produces static screenshot sets; preview-video production and validation require a separate workflow.
See the sources and evidence below for this guide's documentation and recorded observations.
Use screenshots to make a useful screen understandable at a glance. Consider video when timing, interaction or a sequence of actions is essential to understanding the app. Both should depict the product people can actually use; motion does not repair an unclear product story.
Match the medium to the question
For the fictional task app, a task-list screenshot can communicate the main view. A video might become useful if arranging a week involved a distinctive drag interaction. That is a planning example, not a claim that the illustrative app has a working gesture or that video would improve its conversion rate.
| What a visitor needs to understand | Useful starting asset | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| What is on the dashboard? | Screenshot | The information hierarchy can be read without playback |
| How does a gesture change the result? | Short app demonstration | The action and its consequence happen over time |
| Which features fit my routine? | Ordered screenshot set | Each image can explain a distinct moment of use |
| How does the game actually play? | Gameplay capture plus supporting screenshots | Motion explains control and feedback; stills preserve key views |
Apple app previews have their own specification
Apple's app previews are separate video assets: the published requirements specify a 15–30 second duration, a 500 MB maximum file size and device-specific accepted resolutions. Apple lists H.264 and ProRes 422 HQ with different format requirements. Screenshot dimensions are not interchangeable with preview-video dimensions, so check the current orientation and resolution tables before rendering the final file.
Plan a concise beginning, action and result. Keep the important sequence understandable without relying on a long spoken introduction. Select a representative poster frame and review text at the size people will actually see. Your recording and the final video still need the appropriate app and asset review.
Google Play uses a different video workflow
Google Play accepts one regular preview video through a YouTube video URL, not a playlist or channel URL. The video must be public or unlisted, embeddable, without ads and not age-restricted. Keep the feature graphic as a separate asset. An Apple app-preview file alone does not complete the Google Play setup.
Keep the video's promise aligned with the screenshots and the current Android experience. A dramatic intro can consume time without demonstrating the app. Show the core interaction early, then inspect the listing preview, poster artwork and screenshot order as one presentation.
Build the static set in Skir
Skir's verified workflow is for editable static screenshot sets exported as PNG or JPEG. Choose an existing library template, import your real app capture, edit the surrounding headline and export the available boards. The recorded tutorial on this site is a product walkthrough; it is not a video-export feature in the editor.
Create and edit an app-preview video in a separate video workflow. Save the native recording and approved final video alongside the screenshot ZIP, with the app version and locale. If a feature changes, review both assets so the video does not demonstrate an older behavior than the still images.
Make a release decision you can maintain
- List the three questions a first-time visitor needs answered.
- Assign each question to a real screen or interaction in the release build.
- Prepare the screenshot set first when those questions can be answered with still images.
- Add a video when motion carries information that the stills cannot show clearly and you can maintain it across releases.
- Validate each asset against its own store requirements. Measure your app's actual experiment results before claiming that either format performs better.
Sources and related guides
Linked sources reviewed September 24, 2026. The workflow advice is Skir’s editorial guidance; it does not certify a particular app or predict conversion results.